In His Charge
by Victory-Starr
Summary: Gary Hobson has been busy lately. There is a criminal in the Paper who just won't give up, Chuck decides to come for a visit, and his cousin's kids come to stay with him. All at the same time. How will he manage?
1. Chapter One

**In His Charge**

**By: **Victory-Starr

**Published: **March 7th, 2005

_**A/N **If you've read this before, I wouldn't bother re-reading I just because I updated. I just made a few minor changes in spelling, grammar, etc. But, if you haven't read it, I hope you'll take the time to!_

* * *

Gary glanced at the Paper again. He was waiting for the article about the convenient store robbery to change. He had been preventing robberies all week; and all from the same robber. The robber's name was Carney Sam Dupree and Gary was considering the idea of letting the man make a robbery one day, as long as no one got hurt; that way the police would take care of him and he'd be out of Gary's hair.

Eventually the article disappeared and he let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't take this guy anymore. Lately, just about half of the saves in the Paper everyday were ones that Dupree caused.

Gary left the store and started for home. It was 3:15 PM and the hot July sun was beating down on his back. The convenient store robbery was supposed to have been the last save of the day; as long as Dupree didn't try anything else.

As he walked, he looked around at all the people around him. They were all bustling about and talking among themselves. He was pretty sure that a lot of them were thinking about a nice, air-conditioned building.

When Gary pushed open the door to McGinty's, he saw that a lot of people were inside sitting around tables; probably to get out of the heat.

He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of cold water and sat down on a stool at the bar. Marissa came and sat down beside him.

"How's it going, Gary?" She asked him cheerfully.

"Well, it's not." He replied, "I'm about ready to throw Dupree into Lake Michigan. The guy just doesn't know when to quit."

Marisa grimaced, then changed the subject. "Um, Gary, I have two things to tell you."

"What?" Gary asked her.

"You got a phone call from some guy. He said his name was David Hobson." Marissa informed him, "He wants you to call him back."

"Did you say 'David Hobson'?" Gary asked, astonished.

"Yep." Marissa replied simply.

"I've got to go." Gary said, standing up and heading for the office. Then he came back and asked, "What was the second thing you were going to tell me?"

"Chuck called." Marissa stated.

"Chuck?" Gary replied.

"He said that he's coming to visit. He's going to leave on tomorrow's plane and he'd be here by noon tomorrow." Marissa said.

"Tomorrow?" Gary asked.

Marissa nodded.

"Oh, boy." Gary said, and dashed into the office.

* * *

Gary hung up the phone. What did he just do? Why did he do it? Those were the thoughts running through his mind right about now. He had called his cousin, David, back and when David asked a favor of him Gary told him 'yes', he would do it.

Shaking his head tiredly, Gary left the office and walked back out towards the bar.

"Well, did you call him back, Gary?" Marissa asked him when he sat back down beside her.

"Yep." Gary replied.

"Who is he?" Marissa tried.

"He's my cousin from Ohio." Gary allowed, "He said that he and his wife, Jennifer, are thinking about breaking up."

"Oh, no." Marissa shook her head, "And what'd he want to talk to you for?"

"Well, he's got two kids and he was hoping that I would take them for about two weeks while they tried to mend things up a bit." Gary told her.

"And you said that you would, right?" Marissa asked him, expectantly.

"Well, of course I said 'yes'. What was I supposed to say?" Gary replied, "But how am I supposed to watch two kids and manage the Paper at the same time?"

"I'll be glad to help you out, Gary." Marissa told him.

"Thank you." He replied, somewhat relieved.

"And Chuck will be here." Marissa said.

Gary groaned.

"So, Gary, how old are the kids?" Marissa asked.

"I think he said that Michael is eleven and Christy is six." Gary replied, "I haven't seen Michael since he was about two and I've never seen Christy at all."

"Gary!" Marissa exclaimed.

"What?" Gary asked alarmed.

"How can you just not see your own cousins?" She asked him.

"Simple." Gary replied, tapping his fingers on the bar, "Number one, me and David, well, we've never gotten along too well, number two, they just moved to Ohio from Tennessee a year ago, and number three... well, I just didn't!"

"When are they coming?" Marissa asked him.

"I've got to pick them up at the airport the day after tomorrow." Gary informed her.

"Will you be able to fit that in with your schedule with the Paper?" She asked him.

"Hopefully; as long as Dupree can stay out of trouble for about an hour or two." Gary replied, disgusted.

A few minutes later, Gary stood up and said, "I'm going upstairs to clean up a bit. I'm sure Chuck is going to want to crash for at least one night."

He jogged up the stairs and began to tidy up. He wouldn't have time to later. He decided that he would fold out the couch into a bed when the kids got there and they would sleep there.

Chuck, well, he could get a hotel room somewhere after the first night. He wasn't going to stay there every night. Gary then realized that he had one busy schedule ahead of him.

* * *

The next day, Gary was surprised to find out that he wouldn't have any saves until two o'clock that afternoon and Dupree wasn't even on the agenda until four. He was sitting at the desk in the office, reading over the piles of bills when Marissa came in, smiling.

"Um, Gary. Chuck's here." She announced.

"What? Already?" He exclaimed, dropping the bills in surprise.

Suddenly, Chuck walked in. He looked pretty much the same as when Gary had last seen him, except this time he was wearing a light-weight t-shirt instead of a coat and hat.

"Hey, Gare!" Chuck greeted him.

"Hey Chuck, how're you doing?" Gary replied, standing up and shaking his friend's hand.

"Pretty good, pretty good. What've you been doing lately, buddy?" Chuck asked, looking around the room. "Been doing anything besides saving the world?"

"Gary's going to babysit." Marissa spoke up.

"What?" Chuck looked at Gary like he had committed a crime.

"Say, Chuck, where's Jade? Did she come with you?" Gary tried to change the subject.

"Oh, she's at home. Said she didn't want to run around the country with me, acting like she had nothing better to do. Can you believe that?" Chuck replied, "Now, what's this about you babysitting? Are you out of your mind?"

"Well, no. You see-" Gary got cut off.

"-Why would you want to baby sit, anyway?" Chuck interrupted, "Where are the benefits at?"

"My cousin's kids, they're from Ohio, are going to stay with me for a little while." Gary explained, "They're staying for two weeks."

"Cousins? Two weeks? That's even worse, Gare!" Chuck looked disgusted, "Little cousins aren't supposed to stay with their older cousins. They're supposed to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. That way they can hear all about the good 'ole days."

"Well, maybe David and Jennifer didn't want their kids with my dad's brother and his wife." Gary told Chuck, making it sound complicated, "Maybe they would rather have them here... with me."

"I guess they don't know about the Paper then, do they?" Chuck said to Gary sarcastically.

"No, they- Look, don't you have anything better to do?" Gary asked desperately.

"Yeah," Chuck nodded, "I'm going to go get something to eat. The stuff they serve on that plane is terrible. I wouldn't feed it to the pigs."

Marissa, who had listened silently the entire time, was smiling as Chuck headed for the kitchen.

"The guy's only been here for five minutes and he's already driving me crazy!" Gary exclaimed, sitting down, "Maybe I'll throw him into Lake Michigan too."

"Oh, Gary." Marissa laughed.

"What's so funny?" Gary asked her. He wasn't laughing.

"Well, it's just that you and Chuck are such good friends, but you're both totally different." Marissa explained.

Gary mumbled something, and then glanced down at the Paper. As he read, his mud-green eyes got really wide.

"Oh, no, I've got to go!" He said urgently, as he jumped up from his chair.

"What?" Marissa asked, alarmed by Gary's action, "What's wrong, Gary?"

"Chuck!" Was the only answer he gave her as he dashed into the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, he saw Chuck standing at the stove, giving "tips" to the cook on how to properly cook a steak. Gary grabbed Chuck and pulled him back, just as a large flame shot up towards the ceiling.

Gary grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed its contents at the stove until the fire was smothered. His face was covered with soot as he breathlessly sat the fire extinguisher back in its proper position on the shelf.

"Chuck!" Gary exclaimed, obviously annoyed.

"What?" Chuck asked, innocently.

"Chuck, what did you spill on that stove?" Gary asked accusingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Gare." Chuck said solemnly.

"Oh, yes, you do." Gary informed Chuck, "You spilled something that would make that burner burst out in flames!"

"Oh, and how would you know, Mr. Smarty-Pants?" Chuck asked him.

Gary pulled Chuck into the office. "I'll tell you how I know. I know because the Paper said that you were going to get your entire face burned," Gary told him, "and that you were going to burn down the kitchen too!"

Chuck sighed, "There's never solitude in a lie, is there, buddy?" He said to the Cat, who was sitting on the desk, washing himself.

The cat meowed and Chuck gave him a disgusted look.

"That was a rhetorical question, you flea bag." Chuck informed the feline.

"Look, I'm sorry I got mad at you," Gary apologized, running his fingers through his dark hair. "But do you think you could be a little more careful next time?"

"Sure, buddy." Chuck said, patting Gary on the back, "No problem. For now on, I am, 'Chuck the Careful and Cautious'."

Gary shook his head as Chuck left the room. This was going to be a long visit.


	2. Chapter Two

Gary impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for the late plane from Columbus to arrive. He had to make a save in an hour and wanted to get there on time. It wasn't life-threatening, but he should be there.

He had already bought two candy bars for the kids and had already drunk a whole soda. It would have been better if the plane was early.

He waited and waited for about fifteen more minutes and eventually the plane came into view and landed. Gary glanced at his silver watch. It was 4:30. The plane had been an hour late.

He watched, as one by one, the passengers left the plane. Finally he saw a boy about eleven come off of the plane and Gary quickly walked over to him.

"Are you, by any chance, Michael Hobson?" Gary asked him, hopefully.

"No, sir." The boy replied, "I'm Trevor Dawson."

"Well, Trevor, you didn't happen to see a boy and girl, siblings, on the plane did you?" Gary asked him.

"Yes, sir. They should be coming pretty soon." Trevor replied.

Gary thanked the boy and went to stand closer to the people who were coming off the plane and at last, he saw them.

There was a boy about eleven or twelve with red-brown hair. He was tall and thin. He wore a frown on his pale face and was dressed in jeans and a green t-shirt.

Following behind him was a little girl, no older than six or seven years old. She was smiling and her hair was dark brown, like Gary's, and was pulled into two curly pigtails over her ears. Her face was a little more tanned than her brother's and freckles were sprinkled all over her nose and cheeks. She was dressed in a pair of denim short-alls and a pink t-shirt.

"Um, are you two Michael and Christy Hobson?" Gary asked them.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Michael replied rudely.

"Well, I'm your cousin, Gary." Gary answered him, with a friendly smile, "You're supposed to come stay at my house for a little while."

"I'm Christy and I'm six." The little girl told Gary. Her brown eyes danced happily as she looked up at him, "Do we really get to stay at your house, Gary?"

"Well, of course you do." Gary replied, laughing at the child's friendliness, "How would you like a candy bar?"

"Oh, yes! Thank you!" Christy gratefully took the chocolate Gary offered her.

"And how about you, Michael? You want some chocolate?" Gary asked the boy.

"No." Michael replied, just as rudely as before.

"Well, uh, okay. Suit yourself." Gary said, taken back by the boy's unfriendliness.

"Don't mind him, Gary." Christy said, between mouthfuls of chocolate, "Mom says that Michael's a sour-puss."

"I-I-I can see that." Gary laughed uneasily, "Well, we'll have fun anyway. Why don't we go get your bags now?"

So, the three of them went after the luggage, got in the car and started for home. Gary listened as Michael said nothing except when he was asked something and Christy, well, she said plenty for the both of them.

"Um, listen, Michael. You don't have to be afraid to talk to me." Gary tried.

Michael looked exasperated, "Who said anything about being afraid?"

Gary didn't say anything. Maybe the kid just wanted to be left alone. He decided to listen to Christy talk because she seemed to really want to.

"What are we going to do when we get to your house, Gary?" Christy asked.

"We're going to unpack your clothes and get you two settled in." Gary replied, turning onto a side street. He had only a few minutes before he had to make another save.

"Then what?" Christy asked.

"Then we'll have to see, okay?" Gary replied.

Gary stopped the car and jumped out, "You two stay right here. I'll be right back."

Gary looked around and finally spotted the woman he was looking for. She was old; gray hair and wrinkled skin. Somebody was going to rob her of 100 dollars. Gary walked right behind her and made sure no one stole her money. The article disappeared and Gary went back to the van.

When he returned to the van, he saw Christy in the front seat, pretending to drive. Michael looked just as bored as she looked happy.

"Okay, get back in the back, Christy." Gary instructed the child when he opened the door, "Make sure you're buckled up."

She did as she was told and climbed back in the back bench beside her brother. When

Gary heard her seat belt click shut, he pulled out.

"Gary, Michael's not buckled up." Christy informed Gary.

"Michael, buckle up." Gary instructed the boy.

"I don't have to." The boy replied stubbornly.

"Trust me, you have to." Gary warned him, "Am I going to have to pull over, Michael, or are you going to buckle your seat belt?"

"Okay, okay," Michael gave in, "Fine, I'll buckle up. Don't split hairs or anything."

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of McGinty's. Gary opened his door, got out, and came around and opened the side door.

"What are we doing here?" Michael asked, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"This is where I live." Gary replied as he helped Christy out of the van.

"You live in a bar?" Michael said.

"No, I live above the bar. You'll see." Gary replied, picking up their bags.

The children followed Gary into McGinty's. Neither Marissa nor Chuck was anywhere to be seen, so Gary led the kids up the stairs. When they got to the top, Gary opened the door and showed them in.

"Okay, guys, here it is." Gary declared, sitting their bags down inside the door.

"Cool!" Christy exclaimed, "Do we get to sleep up here, Gary."

"Yep," Gary replied simply, unfolding the couch into a bed, "You two can sleep right here on this bed, okay?"

Suddenly, they heard the cat meow.

"Do you have a cat, Gary?" Christy asked, looking around.

"He's over there." Gary replied, nodding his head towards the kitchen area.

Christy ran over towards the cat and picked him up. She cuddled him close and the cat seemed to like it.

"What's his name?" Christy asked.

"Cat." Gary replied.

"Oh." Christy said. She had been expecting more of a name than just, 'cat'.

When they had finished unpacking, Gary led them back down the stairs. He finally saw Marissa. She was now in the office.

"Marissa," Gary said, "These are my cousin's kids; Michael and Christy. Michael, Christy, this is my good friend, Marissa."

"Hi, how are you guys?" Marissa asked them politely.

"I'm fine," Christy replied smiling, "Can I pet your dog?"

"Sure, his name is Spike." Marissa told the girl.

"Hello, Spike." Christy greeted the dog, patting his head.

Not wanting to be involved with anybody or anything, Michael left the room and went back upstairs.

After talking with Marissa for a few minutes, Gary and Christy left the room.

Suddenly, as they were walking towards the bar, Christy tugged on Gary's shirt and said, "Gary, can Marissa see?"

"No, Christy, Marissa's blind. She can't see." Gary replied.

"You mean she can't see anything at all?" Christy asked, shocked.

"No, nothing at all." Gary told the young girl.

"Wow, that's scary." Christy commented.

"Come on, Christy," Gary said, "Why don't we go call up your mom and dad and let them know you guys got here okay?"

Christy agreed and the two of them went into the office. Marissa had left, so no one was in there. Gary called up his cousin and let him know how things were going.

Just as Gary hung up the phone, he heard a shout from the loft. Gary ran up the stairs with Christy close behind him. When they got to the loft, they saw Michael on top of Chuck, hitting him with a pillow.

"Michael!" Gary exclaimed. He dragged the kid off of Chuck and held onto him tightly as Chuck stood up.

Christy just stood wide-eyed in the corner. What was going on in here?

Gary turned Michael around to face him. Michael looked mad and Chuck looked bewildered.

"What is going on in here, Michael?" Gary asked the boy.

"That clown broke into your loft," Michael explained, "I was making sure he wouldn't steal anything!"

"That 'clown' is my best friend, Chuck Fishman, Michael." Gary told him, "He was staying with me last night."

"That's alright, Gare, I'm fine. It was just a little pillow fight." Chuck said.

"Michael, I think you've got an apology to make." Gary instructed the boy.

"I'm sorry." Michael apologized reluctantly.

"Don't worry about it, kid. Just be careful who you start hitting with a pillow next time, okay?"

After a few more minutes Chuck left. He told Gary what hotel he'd be in and said he'd drop by later.

The hours passed and eventually it was eight-thirty at night. Gary told Michael and Christy that it was time to go to bed, so the children headed upstairs.

"You sound tired, Gary." Marissa said, as the two of them sat at the bar.

"It's been a tiring day." Gary replied.

"You know, Christy seems like such a sweet girl, but her brother doesn't seem very friendly at all." Marissa commented.

"You've got that right, Marissa. I don't know what's wrong with him." Gary replied, "I don't know what to do about it though."

They talked a little while longer and then Gary headed upstairs to bed, too. He quietly opened the loft door and heard nothing. He figured that the kids must be asleep.

He was sitting on his bed, unlacing his boots, when he heard the couch bed creak and saw Christy coming towards him. She was wearing purple and white teddy-bear pajamas and was clutching to her chest with her left arm, an old, worn, gray stuffed-rabbit.

"Gary?" She spoke up, when she had reached the bed and was standing beside him.

"You're supposed to be in bed. It's 9:30." Gary told her, sitting his boots in a corner.

"I know, but I couldn't sleep." She replied, "Gary, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Gary replied.

"How come my mommy and daddy keep fighting with each other?" She asked him. Her brown eyes showed worry and concern.

"Come on up here, Christy." Gary told her.

Christy climbed up onto the bed and sat down beside Gary.

"Your mom and dad are having some problems right now, Christy," Gary tried to explain, "They don't want to fight with each other and they're trying to work things out."

"I don't like it when they fight, Gary," Christy said softly, "It scares me."

"Well, why you're here why don't you try not to think about it?" Gary suggested, "When you get home maybe they'll have it worked out."

"Okay, I'll try." Christy said.

"Alright, now why don't you go back to bed now?" Gary told her, smiling.

"Good night, Gary." She told him, climbing off the bed.

"Good night." He said.

She went back to the couch and climbed under the covers. A few minutes later, Gary knew she was asleep and he, too, drifted off to sleep.

**

* * *

**

It was 6:45 the next morning and Gary was reading the Paper. He groaned when he saw that Carney Sam Dupree was planning on causing more trouble; this time at a pottery store.

"This guy _does not_ know when to quit, does he?" Gary muttered to himself.

Gary glanced back at the couch and smiled to himself. Michael and Christy were both still fast asleep. They hadn't awakened to the alarm at 6:30 and Gary had been relieved. It wouldn't do for them to awake every morning that early.

Gary's mind drifted back about 25 years ago. _He would have been around eleven or twelve; Michael's age. He would play with his cousin, David, when they got together, but they had never gotten along very well. David was about a year older than Gary and was bossy. Or at least he _was_. Maybe he had changed_.

Gary's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Michael stirring in his sleep. He decided to take the Paper down stairs so that he wouldn't wake the kids up.

"Good morning, Gary." Gary was greeted by Marissa downstairs.

"Good morning." Gary replied distracted by the article he was reading as he walked to the bar.

"What's in the Paper?" Marissa asked him, sitting down.

"Trouble. That's what." Gary replied.

"What kind of 'trouble', Gary?" She asked him.

"'Dupree Trouble'." He answered her question.

"Not again." She groaned.

"Oh, yeah," Gary said looking up from the Paper, "he's going to steal one hundred bucks from Ginger's Pottery Shop down on Mahan."

"Well, we know one thing about this guy." Marissa spoke up.

"What's that?" Gary asked her.

"He doesn't give up easily." Marissa sighed.

"I'll say." Gary agreed with her. He had lost count on how many problems the guy had caused him in the past week.

"How're the children, Gary?" Marissa asked him.

"Asleep." He replied, pouring himself some coffee.

"Poor kids." Marissa commented after a moment.

"Howzat?" Gary asked her.

"I mean, their mom and dad are thinking about getting a divorce." Marissa explained, "I feel sorry them. That would be hard on those two."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Gary said, "Actually, Christy asked me about her parents last night."

"She did?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah," Gary replied, "I tried to explain things the best I could, but I don't know if it helped or not."

"I think just being here and getting there minds off of it all will help them." Marissa said.

"Maybe." Gary replied, doubtfully.

Suddenly Chuck burst in the front door. He put his hat down and sat down beside Marissa and Gary at the bar.

"Hey, Marissa, Gary." He greeted them.

"Hi, Chuck." Marissa replied, smiling.

"What's in the Paper today, buddy?" Chuck asked, peeking over Gary's shoulder, "Anything I should know about, anything interesting?"

Gary pushed the paper out of Chuck's sight, "You mean, besides the sports pages and the lottery numbers?"

"No." Chuck replied.

"I thought so." Gary declared.

"What'cha doing today, Gare?" Chuck asked, "Want some help?"

"I've got to stop Dupree again." Gary replied.

"Dupree, who?" Chuck asked. He hadn't heard all about Gary's latest 'Paper Problem'.

"Carney Sam Dupree." Gary explained, "He's been driving me crazy for the past week. He tries to commit two or three crimes a day."

Chuck looked shocked, "Do you mean, _the_ Carney Sam Dupree? As in, 'Samuel Dupree'?"

"You know him?" Marissa asked curiously.

"Do I know him?" Chuck exclaimed, "Everybody in the city of Los Anglos knows who that guy is! He's caused more trouble there than I care to mention," Chuck shook his head, shaming the criminal, "He just got out of the California State Prison about six months ago."

"Oh, boy." Gary said. Hearing this made it seem worse.

"Hey, at least there's not two Dupree's, right?" Chuck tried to make things seem better.

Gary just stared at Chuck.

"I am so optimistic!" Chuck sang, "Don't you just love that about me, guys?"

"Well, not at the moment." Marissa replied.

"Gee, some people. They have no optimism at all." Chuck told himself.

Suddenly they heard the sound of pattering feet coming down the stairs. A few minutes later, Christy appeared at the doorway.

"Good morning, everybody!" She greeted everyone.

"Good morning." The three adults told her.

"How is your back, Mr. Fishman?" She asked Chuck, while climbing onto the bar stool beside Gary's.

"My back?" Chuck asked.

"I think she means, 'how does it feel'?" Gary explained, "You know, after the wrestling match you had with her brother."

"Trust me," Chuck said, "That was _not_ a fair fight. He just came out of nowhere and _WHAM!_ he was on me in a second! I didn't even know the little monster was in the room."

"What are we going to do today, Gary?" Christy asked happily.

"Well, uh, I, you see, I-I didn't really have anything planned, Christy." Gary tried to explain, "I just had some 'errands' to run and that was it, you see."

"Can I run errands with you?" Christy asked hopefully, "I can help you."

"Well, I suppose you can help me out if you want to, Christy." Gary gave in reluctantly.

"Yah!" Christy exclaimed.

"I guess we better get going." Gary said, getting up from his seat.

"But, Gary," Marissa pointed out, "What about breakfast?"

"We'll just grab a sticky bun or something on the way, Marissa," Gary said, helping Christy down from the bar stool, "Thanks."

"Hey, Gare, what about the other kid?" Chuck reminded him.

"He's asleep, Chuck," Gary told him, "Don't worry, he can't cause harm to you that way."

"Aren't you going to take him with you, Gary?" Marissa asked.

"I've got to go out again after lunch." Gary explained his plan, "If he wants to go then, he can. Until I get back, would you two mind keeping an eye on him?"

"Sure, Gary." Marissa agreed before Chuck could protest, "We'd be happy to."

Gary thanked them, picked up his Cubs baseball cap, and he and Christy left the building.

"Are you crazy, Marissa?" Chuck asked after Gary had gone, "That kid hates my guts!"

"He seems to hate everyone's guts right now, Chuck," Marissa replied, getting up and heading for the kitchen, "Not just yours."

Chuck mumbled a reply and followed Marissa. He was on vacation, but he had to baby sit. No fair! He wanted justice!


	3. Chapter Three

"Where are we going, Gary?" Christy asked her older cousin, whom she had come to love in just one day.

"To get something to eat." Gary replied.

"Oh." She answered, "Then what?"

"The post office." Gary told her the next stop.

"Are you going to mail a letter?" She asked him.

"I've got to mail these bills and some 'other' things." He explained to her.

"Oh." She had no idea what these other things were.

They stopped at a coffee shop and got two sticky buns, and then they started for the post office, which was just down the street.

As they mailed the bills, Gary kept glancing at the Paper. Some woman was going to leave her car running in the parking lot, accidentally, and it was going to cause a collision with three other cars.

"Um, ma'am, isn't that your car running?" He asked the lady when he finally saw her.

"Oh yes! It is!" She exclaimed, rushing back out the door, "Thank you so much, sir!"

Gary just nodded and he and Christy left the building. Christy watched the lady run out to her car and shut it off.

"That could've been bad if she left her car running, huh Gary?" She pointed out, oblivious to the knowledge her older cousin possessed.

"Yep." Gary replied.

"Where are we going now, Gary?" Christy asked him.

"To a pottery store." Gary replied.

"What's 'pottery'?" She wondered out loud.

"It's stuff made out of clay." He answered her.

"Oh, you mean like dirt?" She asked.

"Something like that." He replied as they reached the store, "Now, don't touch anything, Christy."

"I won't." She said she'd obey.

When they got inside, Gary started looking for the Ginger da Vinci; the woman in charge. He had to warn her to put the money away before Dupree got there.

"Are you sure, sir?" The red-haired woman, Ginger, asked when Gary told her.

Gary pointed to a picture of Dupree, "Yes, I'm sure. This guy's going to come in here and steal a hundred bucks from you!"

"Well, I guess I will," She gave in, looking worried, "You know, just to be on the safe side…"

"Thank you." Gary replied, glancing at the newspaper he held in his hands. The story was gone.

And sure enough, a few moments later, they saw Carney Sam Dupree walk into the store. Ginger looked shocked and so did Christy. The robber left as soon as he saw that he wasn't the only one in the room.

Ginger breathed a sigh of relief as Dupree left the store, "Thank you so much, sir. Is there anyway I can repay you? Anyway at all?"

"Don't worry about it, ma'am." Gary brushed the offer off politely, "Just don't keep such a large amount of money by itself. Thanks anyway."

"Well, how about your little girl, right here." The woman asked generously, "Would you like some candy, sweetheart?"

"Well, actually, she's not my daughter." Gary explained, noticing for the first time that the two did look similar to each other.

"Oh, I'm sorry," The woman apologized for the easy mistake, "Well, would you like some candy anyhow?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." Christy replied.

"Your welcome, honey." The kind, red-haired woman replied.

Gary and Christy left the store and Gary was pleased. He had, once again, stopped Dupree. He wondered why it was that Dupree hadn't recognized him, yet. You'd think he would've said something.

"Where are we going now, Gary?"

"Home." Gary replied.

When they got back to McGinty's, it was around eleven o'clock; just an hour before lunch time. Gary frowned when he saw Michael sitting at the bar; red faced and angry.

"Christy, why don't you go help Marissa out?" Gary told the child, "I've got something I need to do."

"Okay. See ya later!" She smiled and skipped towards the office.

Gary sighed and made his way over to his young cousin. He wasn't sure what was bothering Michael, but he was going to find out.

"Michael?" Gary said, sitting down beside the boy at the bar.

Michael ignored him and turned his back on Gary.

"Michael, listen to me." Gary tried again.

"I don't have to." Michael retorted, "You're not my boss."

"I hate to break it to you, son, but I am your boss while you're here." Gary pointed out.

"Humph." Michael pointed his nose in the air.

Gary could feel his patience running low, "Michael, you've got to stop acting this way to everybody. I want it to stop."

"I can act any way I want!" Michael snapped.

"Do you act like this at home, Michael?" Gary questioned him.

"None of your business." The boy told Gary off.

"Listen, kid," Gary said, not feeling as patient as he had a few moments ago, "I'm not going to put up with what your parents put up with. Now, if you don't start behaving I'm going to show you the definition of the word, 'discipline'!"

"You can't tell me what to do," The boy exclaimed, fighting hard to keep back the tears that filled his eyes, "You don't understand anything!"

The boy ran from the room and Gary heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.

"Michael, wait!" Gary called.

He stood up to go after Michael, but stopped when he heard Marissa's voice behind him; "I wouldn't, Gary."

"You were here the whole time?" Gary asked. He hadn't even noticed Marissa standing behind him.

Marissa nodded, "He's hurting, Gary."

Gary stopped. Maybe Marissa was right.

**

* * *

**

The days began to pass and Gary tried to keep his younger cousins minds off of their parent's problems. It was easy to talk to Christy; he brought her along with him every now and then when he worked with the Paper.

It wasn't as simple with Michael. The boy didn't seem to want to have anything at all to do with anybody. He just kept to himself, angrily pouting away the entire day.

Gary continued to stop Carney Sam Dupree from causing any destruction, but it wasn't easy. The man caused trouble nearly everyday.

But when he had the time, Gary tried to give the kids something enjoyable to do; they went to a Cubs game (which Christy really seemed to like), they went to a museum, and a number of other things. Gary enjoyed spending time with the kids, but Michael continued to act up.

**

* * *

**

It was Thursday night and the kids were leaving for home on Sunday afternoon. It was eleven o'clock and Gary was asleep. He had no idea of what disaster laid ahead of him.

Michael had decided after Gary went to sleep that he was going to runaway. He got up quietly, went into the bathroom, and changed into jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers. He had grabbed his travel bag when Christy sat up, wearily.

"Where are you going, Michael?" She asked him, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I'm leaving this dump." He replied. He wasn't planning on going home, either.

"Please don't go, Michael." Christy pleaded.

"Forget it, Christy," He said stubbornly, "I've made up my mind; I'm leaving and never coming back."

"Can I come?" She asked him. She didn't really want to runaway, but she wanted to stay with her older brother.

"Yeah, I suppose so, "He gave in, "But hurry up. Don't wake up Gary."

She untangled the blankets from her legs and climbed out of the bed. She ran into the bathroom and came out a few moments' later, wearing blue jeans, a pick T-shirt, white shoes, and carrying a yellow jacket. She picked up her own bag and followed her brother out of the loft, down the stairs, and out the McGinty's door. If the two had known what was going to happen next, they would've stayed in bed.

**

* * *

**

"_Good morning, Chicago. Its six-thirty AM and it looks like its going to…"_ Gary shut off the alarm, groaned, and rolled out of bed.

He walked to the loft door and got the Paper. He was on his way to his chair when he noticed that the kids were not in the unmade bed.

He looked in the closet, where the kids kept their bags and panicked when he saw that their bags were not to be found.

He quickly got dressed and ran downstairs. Marissa was already there and was in the office.

"Marissa, have the kids been down here?" Gary asked hopefully, but doubting it was true.

"No, Gary, I haven't seen them." She replied, "What's wrong; are they missing?"

"Oh, I'll say they're missing," Gary said as he paced back and forth, "They're missing and so are their bags!"

"Oh, no." Marissa said.

What's going on in here?" They heard a voice say, "You two look like you lost your best friend."

They turned around to find Chuck in the doorway.

"Chuck," Gary asked, "Have you, by any chance, seen Michael or Christy anywhere?"

"Hmm, let me think. Nope, I haven't seen them since I was here last." Chuck replied, "Why?"

"They're missing and Gary said that they took their bags with them." Marissa explained.

"Well, Gare, there's a simple solution to all of this." Chuck told him.

"What?" Gary and Marissa asked in unison.

"Why, its right there in your hands; the Paper." Chuck said, "Is there anything about them?"

Gary started flipping through the black and white pages hopefully. He found nothing and sighed, "They're not here. I'm going to have to go looking for them."

"Wait for me," Chuck ordered, "I'm coming too."

"Good luck." Marissa called as the two men went out the door.

Gary didn't know where to start look first. He had no idea whatsoever where they might of gone. Chuck didn't know where to look, either and when they stepped out the McGinty's door they were overwhelmed with the sight of the large city. How were they ever supposed to find two kids among all that traffic?

They searched for hours; the result was nothing. They had no idea where to look and were tired. Gary had to stop searching every now and then because of the Paper. They already told the CPD, but that didn't help any; at least not, yet.

So, after searching all day, hardly taking time for lunch, Gary and Chuck went back to McGinty's. They were discouraged to hear that the children had not returned.

"Why'd they leave, Marissa?" Gary asked wearily later that night. Chuck had gone home to his hotel room, but Marissa decided to stay with Gary a little longer before she headed home.

"I don't know, Gary." Marissa replied, "But you need to get some sleep. It's been a long day and I have a feeling that another one's coming tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Gary agreed, "I'll see you tomorrow, Marissa."

"Good night, Gary." She said and she walked out the door.

Gary got up and headed upstairs. Where in Chicago were those kids? Then he got an awful thought; what if they weren't in Chicago anymore?

**

* * *

**

When Gary woke up the next morning he stumbled tiredly to the door and got the Paper. When he picked up the Paper, he let out a cry of shock when he saw the front page.

**Ohio Boy & Girl Found Dead**

_Eleven year old Michael Hobson and his younger, six-year-old sister, Christine Hobson was pronounced dead on the scene when the police arrived at the old warehouse on 8th Avenue. It is said that a local resident heard gunshots and alerted the Chicago Police Department, who arrived on the scene minutes later, at 9:45 PM last night. It is believed that the children were kidnapped by their killer… Samuel Dupree, also known as, Carney Sam Dupree…_

Gary had heard enough. Dupree was at it again. As quick as he could, he dressed and ran downstairs. He looked around, but Marissa hadn't arrived, yet. He started to write out a note for her, when she came in the door.

"Marissa." He said.

"Gary, what's wrong?" Marissa asked him, setting down her purse. She could tell from his voice that something was wrong.

As quickly as he could, Gary told Marissa all about the article in the Paper. She looked shocked and frightened.

"Gary, what are you going to do?" She asked him.

"I'm going to the warehouse to see of I can find them." Gary replied, sounding sure of himself.

Gary left and quickly ran towards the part of town where he hoped he would find his cousins.

He reached warehouse a little while later and listened for sounds coming from it; he heard nothing. He went inside and started to look around. He eventually covered every floor and found no trace of them.

Discouraged, he headed back home. They weren't there; not, yet anyway. When he reached McGinty's he told Marissa about his 'findings'.

"They're not there, Marissa," He told her, "No trace of them.

Marissa sighed. They were going to have to wait until later that evening. In the mean time, Gary dealt with the rest of the Paper.


	4. Chapter Four

That night, around eight o'clock, Gary said good bye to Marissa and headed for the warehouse. When he got there, he could hear noise inside; voices.

He immediately ran to the nearest pay phone and dialed the police station. He informed them of where his younger cousins were and surprisingly, they said that they were on their way.

Gary waited impatiently for the police. He could hear the muffled voices in the old building, but could make out what they were saying. Soon, the police pulled up with their sirens and surrounded the building.

"You got any idea who's got them?" The chief officer asked Gary.

"Dupree, Carney Sam Dupree." Gary replied.

"Oh, boy. Not again. This guy never learns." The officer groaned.

Gary watched as the police worked on getting the kids out of the building… alive. He listened as they tried to get Dupree to come out. And eventually, after an hour of trying, they did.

Dupree gave up and came out of the building. A minute later, an officer brought Michael and Christy out. The kids looked tired and scared.

Christy ran over to Gary. She had tears streaming down her dirty face as she sobbed into his chest. As Gary held the little girl close, comforting her, he watched Michael. The boy was standing off to the side a little bit. He looked both, scared and ashamed, and Gary had an idea that Michael was the one with the bright idea to run away.

"I'm sorry, Gary," Christy said, looking at his face, "I'm sorry I ran away."

The police gave them the 'okay' to go home, so the three left the busy area filled with reporters and police.

As they walked back to McGinty's, Christy fell asleep while Gary carried her. He stopped and looked down at Michael.

"Michael," He began.

"Yes, sir?" The boy replied, politely for a change.

"We're going to have a talk when we get back." Gary told him.

Michael sighed. Boy was he in for it.

When they got back to McGinty's, Marissa was still there, "Gary?" She asked, expectantly.

"I've got them." Gary replied.

"Oh, thank God!" Marissa breathed a sigh of relief, "Are they okay?"

"They're just fine, as far as I can tell." Gary answered her.

"Well, I guess I'd better get going. I'll see you three tomorrow," She said.

"Good night, Marissa." Gary told her and he started up the stairs.

When the three reached the loft, Gary laid Christy on her side of her bed and covered her up. He instructed Michael to get cleaned up and ready for bed.

The boy did as he was told and a few minutes later, he and Gary were sitting on Gary's bed, talking.

"Michael, why did you runaway?" Gary asked him.

"I, I didn't want to stay here." He replied.

"Why not?" Gary asked him, "You are going home tomorrow, anyway!"

"I know." He answered.

"Michael, you're not making any sense." Gary said, exasperated, "I don't think I have to tell you that that could've turned out pretty bad back there."

"I know, Gary, and I'm sorry! I really am sorry!" Michael spoke.

"Why don't you tell me why you've been acting up, Michael?" Gary asked him.

Michael looked down at the bed, ashamed, "I'm sorry I acted real mean, but my mom and dad are going to split up and it's all _my_ fault!"

"Your fault?" Gary exclaimed, "What are you talking about?"

"Never mind, you wouldn't understand." Michael tried to brush it off.

"No, go ahead and tell me." Gary coaxed, "I'm listening."

"My mom and dad are going to split up because I've drove them crazy all these years. I'm a brat and a pain! That's why they sent me here to stay with you." Michael said.

"That's not true, Michael." Gary tried to tell him.

"Yes, it is!" Michael exclaimed.

"No, it's not!" Gary argued, "Your parents are having problems of their own right now. It has nothing to do with you. They sent you and your sister here, so that they could try to work things out peacefully. They don't want to take anything out on you and they don't want to get a divorce, either. Do you understand?"

"Do you really mean that, Gary?" Michael asked, tears in his eyes, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I mean that, Michael," Gary said firmly, "Your mom and dad, they love you. Your sister loves you, I love you, and so does Marissa!"

Michael lunged into Gary's arms, taking his older cousin by surprise. Gary slowly wrapped his arms around the changed boy.

"Thank you, Gary." The boy said softly.

Gary smiled, "You're welcome. Now, it's late and time for bed."

"Okay." Michael said, climbing off the bed, "Good night, Gary."

"Good night, Michael." Gary told him.

**

* * *

**

"You all ready to go, guys?" Gary double-checked.

"Yes, Gary." The kids told him.

It was the next day and Gary was getting ready to take the kids to the airport. When Michael had woken up earlier that morning he had apologized to Marissa and Chuck for the way he had acted. All was forgiven and everybody was happy.

"Okay, then," Gary said, picking up one of their bags, "Let's go."

The kids said good bye to Chuck and Marissa and then climbed into the back seat of the McGinty's van. This time Michael buckled in.

When they reached the airport, they quickly got ready to board the plane that would take them to Columbus.

"Good bye, Gary," Christy said, hugging Gary's neck, "I'll miss you."

"Good bye, Christy," Gary said, "Don't worry, we'll see each other again sometime."

The little girl smiled. She was sad to leave Chicago, but she was glad she was going home.

"Good bye, Gary," Michael said, also giving Gary a hug, "Thanks for the swell time. I really enjoyed the baseball game, even if I didn't act like it."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed, Michael. Who knows," Gary said, playfully punching the boy's shoulder, "Maybe you'll play for the Cubs some day."

After talking a few more moments, the children boarded the plane. Gary waved to them and left when the plane took off. He hoped that everything turned out okay at home.

* * *

_One Week Later_

Gary read the letter from his cousin out loud to Marissa. Chuck had left a few days ago.

"_Dear Gary,"_ Gary read, _"First of all, I want to thank you for watching Michael and Christine for Jennifer and I. It helped a whole lot and we really appreciate it. The children came home telling of their many adventures, including one which I'm not so sure I believe. _

_Jennifer and I have settled our arguments and things are going much smoother in our home now. We'd like to have you visit us sometime. Please consider our offer. It's the least we could do._

_Anyway, thanks again. Give my regards to your friends, Marissa and Chuck, whom I've heard many good things about. _

_Sincerely,_

_David Hobson_

"Well, that's good, Gary." Marissa said, pleased with the good news, "I'm glad to hear that things are working out."

"Yeah, me, too." Gary agreed, folding the letter up.

"Why don't you invite the kids over again sometime, Gary?" Marissa suggested.

Gary laughed nervously, "I don't know, Marissa. Maybe when I'm not in charge of so many other different things at the same time."

"You mean, like; dealing with the Paper?" She asked, smiling.

"And Chuck…" Gary groaned.

"…And Dupree!" They said together.

Yes, Gary had done a lot the past two weeks. Some of them he had enjoyed, but he was glad it was over.

* * *

_**Disclaimer:**_

_I do not own any of these characters except for **Carney Sam Dupree**, **Ginger da Vinci**,** David**, **Jennifer**,** Michael**, and **Christy Hobson.**_


End file.
